Grain-separator



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Grain Separator. No. 237,678. Patented Feb. 15,1881.

wif/Larmes. lm' ld/2h51@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEo EDWIN O. DARLINGAND BARTON B. GATES, OF ROCKTON, ILLINOIS.

GRAl N-SEPA RATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 237,678, dated February15, 1881.

i Applicationfiieamarehlaiseo. (Nomad.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWIN O. DARLING and BARTON B. GATES, all otBockton, in the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, have inventeda new and useful GrainSeparator, of which the followingis aspecification.

Our invention relates to that class of separators employed mainly forseparating oats from other grains; and it consists in a grainseparatorembodying certain details in construction and combinations of parts, aswill hereinafter be described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an isometrical perspective ofa grain-separator embodying our invention, of which Fig. 2 is a centrallongitudinal vertical section, and Fig. 3 a side elevation in which thedriving-wheel is omitted and a portion of the side casing and framebroken away to reveal the inner portions. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectionof a portion of the sieve and sieve-frame.

The main frame and casing of our improved separator are substantiallythe same as machines of its class now found in the trade; and these pars consist of like transverse frames, composed of posts A, caps B, andtransverse footboardsG,snitably united. Theseframesare suitablyseparated and placed in an upright or vertical position,and the sidecasings, D, made of suitable material in proper form,are xed to theinnerface of the posts of theframe, and one end is closed by endcasings, E, which, in connection with the transverse walls a and b, thecurved casing c, and one end portion, d, of the hopper, form thefan-case, having an open side, as at F, through which the air put inmotion by the rotating fans is discharged into the shoe under the sieve.

At Gis represented a fan-shaft, mounted to revolve in suitable bearings, e, xed to the main frame. On this shaft are mounted cross-arms j',to the outer portion of which are iixed fanblades g, producing afan-wheel of suitable size to revolve freelyin the fan-case.

A semicircular opening, H, is formed in the side casings immediately inrear of the parts on which the fan-shaft is supported, having for itscenter the center ofthe fan-shaft, and is employed to admit air to thefan, and provided with pivoted valves h, to regulate the admission ofair to the fan-case.

I represents a sheave or grooved pulley mounted on theoutward-projecting end of the fanshaft, and is designed to receive around belt from a driving-wheel, to impart a rotary motion thereto.

J represents a shoe ot' rectangular form in plan, and of proper size tobe received Within the casing at its rear end, to permit ot' a freemovement therein. The sides of this shoe, in this instance, are made ofplate material ofthe form represented at K, and are separated a properdistance to freely enter between the side casings, and in such separatedpositions are relatively fixed to an end bar, i), and to inclinedbottoms j, which are separated to form a vertical transverse opening, k,to admit the grain from the shoe to the inclined screen. The end portionof this vertical opening is fitted with an inclined plate, 7s', toshorten the opening to conduct the grain from the shoe onto the inclinedscreen below. The rear end portions ofthe shoe-sides are notched inratchet or toothed form, as atl, which receive the pivotlike endportionsl of the end board, L, made vertically adjustable by means of its endpivots and the notched ends of the shoe. This vertically-adjustable endboard, employed to close the end of the shoe, is held in place incontact therewith by means ot a rod or cord connection, l, with acoil-spring, Z,`iixed to the forward portion of the shoe.

The sieve proper, as represented at M, is of a well-known form,consisting ot' V-formed transverse ribs m, of plate material, slotted toreceive lengthwise ribs m', forming V-shaped openings of proper size topermit the smaller grains, as grains ot' wheat, to pass through thesieve, and prevent the longer or larger grains from passing round theV-formed angle, and which, in the movements of the sieve, will be thrownfrom the pockets upward and .rearward and carried over the sieve. Thissieve portion is supported in a suitable frame consistin g of sidepieces, n, grooved lengthwise on their inner sides, to receive theprojecting ends of the transverse V-i'ormed bars, and also receive theend bars, n', which are firmly fixed in place against the front and rearedge of the sieve, producing a sieve in a frame of rectangular form.

At n is represented aplate, of any suitable material, Xed to the uppersurface of the end IOO bar of the sieve-frame in such a manner as tooverlap the front V-formed bar to its rear edge, to prevent the lodgmentof grain or other substances against the front edge of the front bar.The front end of this sieve-frame is supported in the shoe against itsfront end bar, fi, on inclined blocks o, fixed to the sides of the shoe,and the outer ends ot' the sieve side bars are fitted with aplate,0,fixed to their under outer end portions, adapted to en gage the pivotportions of the vertical adjustable end board, with which the outer endot` the sieve is made vertically adjustable, and is held in its adjustedposition by the action of the coiled springs Z".

The shoe containing the sieve is supported in place in the separator onbearings p, which project from its sides outward through openings in thesides of the casing, and enter openings prepared for their reception inthe free ends of levers N, having their ends pivoted to the side4casings, and it is also fitted with inclined arms P, iXed obliquely tothe sides of the shoe, and their lower ends are pivoted to one arm ofangle-levers pf, which are lpivoted in position to the inside of theside casings, to permit of an inclined movement of the shoesubstantially in the lengthwise direction of the steady-arms. The upperends ot' the steady-arms are fitted to engage -elasvtic stops p,adjustahly fixed in position to the inside of the side casings by meansot their lengthwise slotted arms, through which suitable clamping screwsare passed to tix them in position. The shoe is held in its highestposition with the upper ends of the steadyarms against the elastic stopsby means of the action of the coiled springs R, connected at theirvlower ends to the free ends of the levers N, and their upper ends ittedwith a screwrod, r, which extends upward through a bracket, R', andiitted with a screw-nut, r,by which to increase or lessen the force ot'the. coiled springs.

At S is represented a iiuted feed-roll, placed crosswise of the machine,over the front portion ofthe sieve, in the delivery-openiu g of thehopper, and is iitted to revolve in bearings in the side casings. On itsoutward-projectin g ends, immediately on the outside of the casings, aremounted step-wheels t, the stepsot which, in its revolutions, engage astep, t', on the lever N and carry them,with the shoe thereto attached,downward to the position represented in dotted lines, and in the onwardmovement of the wheel its steps will pass the leverstep, and the springaction will cause the levers and the shoe thereto attached to rise witha velocity equal to the force of the spring action. By this arrangementwe produce a machine in which the upward-throwing movement of the sievewill be substantially uniform under varying speeds of the other parts ofthe machine.

S represents a driving-wheel mounted on the outer end of the feed-rolljournal. Its pe- Yripheryis grooved, and is provided with a round belt,which connects it with the sheave ot' the fanshaft. The drivin g-wheelis provided with a winch, t, by means of which motion may be imparted tothe machine by hai i.. It is also provided with a pulley, t" by whocn itmay be connected by suitable belting tp prime mover.

The bottom ofthe hopper is formed of a fixed portion, u, and a pivotedportion, u,,ne journals of which are supported in and extepd through theside casing, and one end is tred withA aspring-arm, u, which engages thetejgth of a ratchet-bar, ufl', fixed to the side casing, and furnishesthe means for adj ustin g the opening of the throat to regulate the feedfromghe hopper to the sieve, and by means of the spriyngarm u" thepivoted portion u will yield to permit the passage of any accidentalbulky gubstances that may get into the hopper without injury to theparts. The rear end ot' the hopperis formed ot' theinclinedboardc,havin",r its lower edge placed over the iluted feed-rol At T isrepresented a .screen-suppoi frame composed of side bars, fv, and endlc, suitably connected, producinga frame vangular in plan. This frame isiitted ,with metallic plates w, notched to receive the upper ends of theangle-levers p', and its lower portion is suspended on links w in such amanner that the frame will receive its motion through the angle-lever,put in motion from its connection with the shoe by means of thesteady-arms P. A screen-frame composed of sides and ends x, suitablyjoined iu rectangular form, and provided with a suitable screencloth orwebbing, is removably supported in the screen-supporting frame, havingits lower end enter suitable clasps formed by the plates x', and itsupper e'nd connected thereto by means of a button, (represented at 50.)

The rear end of the machine is fitted with an inclined conducting-spout,T', fitted to the inclined lower edge of the tail-board T", which isremovably attached to the rear end of the separator, and is madevertically adjustable by means of hooking-supports fixed to thetail-board, and adapted to enter either of a series of holes formed inthe rear ends of the side casings, all of which is clearly representedin dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3.

From the foregoing it will be seen that we produce a separator providedwith an adjustable force-feed, and a shoe in which the sieve will have auniform upward-throwing movement, not affected by the changes ot' speedin the movement ot the machine.

In use the grain to be separated is placed in the hopper, and motionbeing imparted to the machine in the direction indicated by the arrow,the grain will be carried by the feed-roll onto the sieve, and itsmotion will cause the smaller heavy grain to enter and pass through thesieve-openings, and from thence to the moving screen, to separate thesmall grits and foul seeds which have passed through the sieve, and willthen be discharged at the head of the machine in a comparatively purestate, and the screenings will be found under the IIO IIS

machine. The light grains, with all light foreign substances, will becarried and blown over the sieve and tail-board and dropped at the tailend ot' the machine, while the oatgrains will be thrown upward andrearward by the movement of the sieve, and the action of the air putinmotion by the fans will assist to carry them over the sieve and dropthem inside of the tail-board, to be conducted by the inclined spoutinto a suitable receptacle provided to receive them.

We claim as our inventionl. rIhecombination, with the shoe of agrainseparator and step-levers having the shoe pivoted. to their outeror free ends, of inclined rigid guide-arms connected with the shoe, andan adjustable spring connected with the free endS of the step-levers,substantially as dcscribed.

29 The combination, with the shoe, step-lever-.land step-wheels attachedto the feedroll, of inclined rigid guide-arms connected with the sholand adjustable springs connected with the free ends of the step-levers,substantially as described.

3. The combination of the screen, shoe K, provided with the inclinedrigid guide-arms, the angular levers connected to said guidearms, andthe frame T, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with the shoe having series of grooves formed in itsend, and an end board provided with pins which it in said grooves,thereby allowing of the vertical adjustment of the end boa-rd, ofsprings located in the forward portion of the shoe and con nected withthe end board, said springs serving to retain the end board in place inany desired adjustment, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the shoe provided 4o with inclined rigidguide-arms and means for reciprocating said shoe, ot' adjustable elasticstops fixed to the side of' the mill, for limiting the upward movementof the shoe, substantially as set forth.

' EDWIN O. DARLIN G.

BARTON B. GATES. Witnesses:

G. R. MANNING,

S. BARTHOLOMEW.

